Maine (thing)

Track twelve (2:04) on the 1999 CD release of John Linnell's State Songs, and track four (2:03) on the less complete 1994 EP release of the same album.

To me, this is a quintessential State Song... everything blends together just right: John's unique vocal style, the TMBG-ish instrumentation and arrangement, and the vivid lyrics which don't really seem quite flattering to the state in question - but you often can't figure out whether or not they work out to an insult, or if they're really just about some anthropomorphized identity which John has created:

relaxing on my hands and knees, relaxing on my facereclining in the beartrap of its tender warm embrace

Other similar favorites of mine on the album include Montana, Iowa, Utah, and of course my beloved birth state Oregon, whose lyrics are possibly the harshest of the bunch.

Maine features Brian Doherty on drums, and in the 1999 version, on the cannon as well. The two versions feature what appear to be slightly different instrumentation on the synthesizer parts, with the older version being slightly more laid back.

The CD liner notes add the following comments about Maine: "The State Flag of the Pine Tree State shows the North star with the motto: 'Dirigo' ('I direct'). Indeed, Maine serves as a pointer for the rest of the country, directing our attention to Greenland and the Maritime Provinces."